Your Mouth is Lovely
by M. Haggarty
Summary: Dedicated to and inspired by Darknightdestiny. Tifa witnesses a change. VinTif.


**Your Mouth is Lovely  
****by M. "Bird" Haggarty.**

_**Warning: None in this chapter. Muwha.  
**_

_**Author's Note: This fic was inspired by Darknightdestiny, and is dedicated to her. Here's to you, ma'am.**_

* * *

_"They sleep not, except they have done mischief;_

_And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall._

_For they eat the bread of wickedness,_

_And drink the wine of violence."_

-Proverbs 4:16 - 17

* * *

She felt as though her lungs had frozen; to breathe was in act in itself. Perhaps her body, too, had frozen, for it appeared as though her legs were almost rooted into place. She just couldn't take her eyes off the sight that lay before her. She couldn't take her eyes off of the torn flesh and spilled blood that littered and stained the rain-sprinkled grass. A better sight that was, she supposed, then to look up and see who had done the deed.

_Vincent..._

Tifa wouldn't, couldn't, look up and into the blood red irises that she knew were upon her form. It had been a harmless walk in the woods. A harmless little walk. Yet that harmless little walk landed her right in the middle of a hunt. Not just _any _hunt; the hunts of solitude that Vincent went on every so often, to quench his inner demons' hungers. No one else knew about them except for her; he had given in and told her one evening when she had pestered him about where he went at night. She hadn't realized that tonight might have been one of those nights, and as she soon found out, she should have. Luckily, it appeared that Vincent's demons were relinquishing their hold on him for the time being; he wasn't one of_ them. _At least not physically.

Finally, she found the strength to move her legs, and tried to leave without catching his attention. The attempt was futile.

"Tifa...?"

_No._

She turned around ever so slightly, her heart starting to beat slightly wilder. She looked to him and nodded. "...hey..."

Vincent's features were neutral, though his darkened red eyes gave away his emotion at the moment. He looked for her face, down to the carnage strewn around him. He was silent... So very silent. All that could be heard was the trees rustling with the wind. Tifa took a tentative step towards him. "Vincent... I'm..." _What should I say? 'Sorry for intruding on your killing spree, let's just forget this ever happened'? Pfft. _She reached her arm out slightly as she neared him. "We... Let's go back..."

Vincent stepped away from her, a serious look crossing his features. Then, so softly that she almost didn't hear it... "...I'm not finished."

Tifa stopped. That meant... _He hasn't sated all of the monsters. Which one is next...? _She swallowed thickly, and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. It opened and closed a few more times before she shut it completely. _Leave. Come on, Tifa; just leave._

But as she looked at him, standing still with slight tremors going through him, she found that she couldn't leave. Again, she was stuck. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity. _Perhaps I have a death wish, _she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a groan and the sound of something unfolding. As if it were calling to her, she looked at Vincent and saw that he was changing. Wings had sprouted and unfolded from his back, and towered over his form, making him look menacing, despite the look of pained annoyance on his face.

_Chaos. That's the next one. Tifa, it's definitely time to go. _She saw the claws forming, watched the demon take hold of the gunslinger. Next thing she knew, her legs were in action. Not once did she look back as she ran through the forest, heading back to camp. She managed not to trip the entire time, though she did not get out unscathed. Fresh blood trickled down her legs, but she paid it no heed. She ran and ran, only to stumble when she heard a roar. A roar of anguish, a roar of victory. _Chaos is completely out._ Finally, panting for breath, Tifa looked back into the dense woods, in the direction that she fled from. _I'm so sorry, Vincent. I didn't mean..._

Tifa shut her eyes and then turned back around and finished her way back to camp. She just kept running. Past the trees. Past the night creatures. Past her comrades, not seeing their confused faces as she dived into her tent.

**End Chp.**

_Final Fantasy VII and its characters are © 1997 Square-Enix Co., Ltd._


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